Distracted by Trains
LightNews LightNews
banner
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Distracted by Trains
@distractedbytrains.bsky.social
22 followers 33 following 210 posts
Big trains, small trains, steam trains, diesel trains, electric trains, experimental trains, freight trains (or goods, pre-containerisation), passenger trains...
Terribly adorably distracting the whole lot of them!
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Distracted by Trains @distractedbytrains.bsky.social · Mar 25
All the best adventures begin at a railway station!
A pair of cabin bag style suitcases stood on a railway station platform underneath the dot matrix train information display. On top of the front suitcase is a brightly coloured plush toy parrot. His name is Peter, and you may be seeing him fairly often in photos & videos of our travels. He's a very adventurous little stuffed parrot, especially when it comes to trying new foods, and he's often obliging when it comes to showing relative size in photos.
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
We've been at the National Festival of Railway Modelling today.

Tigg visited the Locomotion / National Railway Museum stand in hopes of getting one of their limited edition NRM50 wagons.

She got upsold, but refuses to regret it 😊
Three limited edition open wagons in OO gauge, made by Dapol: Black wagon with NRM 50 logo, celebrating 50 years of the National Railway Museum; Yellow wagon with S&DR 200 logo, celebrating 200 years since the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway; Red wagon with The Greatest Gathering logo. This was a three-day event held at the start of August this year & was a massive celebration of all things railway. We went on the Saturday and it was amazing.
November 23, 2025 at 7:43 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Made it onto the first train of the day to Birmingham.

Where are we off to?

The NEC, ot course! It's National Festival of Railway Modelling weekend!
November 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Tigg had an idea this morning. The kind that leads to much online searching & many open browser tabs.

Unfortunately, it appears there is currently a distinct lack of 1:120 scale aircraft kits.

In the meantime, enjoy this gem of an Amazon listing: www.amazon.co.uk/ZEZEFUFU-Pap...
ZEZEFUFU Paper Plane Model Fighter Aircraft Model DIY Kit 1:120 Scale Aircraft Model Airplane Model Building Kit (Unassembled Kit) : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games
Shop ZEZEFUFU Paper Plane Model Fighter Aircraft Model DIY Kit 1:120 Scale Aircraft Model Airplane Model Building Kit (Unassembled Kit). Free delivery and returns on eligible orders of £20 or more.
www.amazon.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:58 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Our journey down to Rapido RailEx back in September ended up with over an hour's delay in both directions.

So after getting home, I put in a Delay Repay claim for both journeys.

Initial result: outward claim approved, return leg denied.
November 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Well, my fluffy sheep & cattle didn't get me into the finals of the Peco Rail200 competition, so I guess that means I can start deconstructing & rebuilding the model now?

Or maybe I'll build something else first...
Small model railway diorama with a flock of sheep on a platform, clustered around a solitary person, and a couple of buildings in the background. Close up photo of OO scale model cattle with a farmer, walking across a packed dirt yard.
October 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Here we are, for anyone who's been waiting, Tigg' favourite photos of her entry in the Peco Rail 200 'modular' diorama building competition.

These aren't the exact ones used in her entry. The close up of the cattle was taken later in the week :-)
Small model railway diorama in OO scale. There is a straight piece of standard gauge track near the front, with narrow gauge tracks behind. Between the standard gauge track and front of the baseboard is spring green grass and a row of telegraph poles. The ground beyond the standard gauge track is all packed dirt. From the left the narrow gauge railway starts off parallel to the standard gauge track, running between that and a pair of semi-detatched red brick houses. As it passes a water tower, the rails curve away from the standard gauge track, and diverge into two tracks behind a pub. From the points, one set of tracks leads off into the distance while the other is a short spur allowing access to a cattle dock platform sited between the narrow and standard gauge railways. The cattle dock has no fencing - there are concrete posts stacked on the ground at the near end - and currently holds a large flock of sheep clustered around a man holding a bucket. Two other men look on. In the background of the scene, a horse and dray are making a delivery to the pub and there are more men sitting on benches outside the pub, watching the goings on at the cattle dock. A view of the diorama from the cattle dock end, showing the sheep and the various people watching their antics as well as showing the posters on the side of the pub and a clearer view of the horse and dray. A view of the diorama from the houses end. You can't really see the scene at the cattle dock as it's in the distance but you can see the sooty weathering I did on the model houses. Close up of a small part of the scene which you couldn't see in the other photos: a farmer is leading a small herd of Welsh Black cattle away from the cattle dock.
October 12, 2025 at 12:28 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Been a long day but a good time at GETS.

Tigg acquired another Peckett W4 (Jaffa - been waiting for that one & got it at a nice price) and also some road vehicles.

Tom picked up some nicely-priced container wagons & a restaurant car.
October 11, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Distracted by Trains
tachyoneddies.com
Interesting if you're into making model railroad bridges and want to learn more about short bridges. There's an actual "Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance" with some learning pages and studyable pics. Just don't get talked into buying a real bridge.😅

www.shortspansteelbridges.org/products/sub...
diagram of a bridge showing the parts, from https://www.shortspansteelbridges.org/products/substructure-foundation/ Steel bridge with sheet still abuttments from https://www.shortspansteelbridges.org/products/substructure-foundation/
October 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Heading off to Milton Keynes to look at little trains again today!

Haven't been to this show before but one of the ads had us in a photo* so we let that persuade us 😆

*photo was taken at the April NEC show.
October 11, 2025 at 6:57 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Ooooh! This is exciting news 😊
seatsixtyone.bsky.social The Man in Seat 61 @seatsixtyone.bsky.social · Oct 1
Breaking: Caledonian Sleeper's highland sleeper to Inverness, Aberdeen & Ft William will call at Birmingham International from 15 January onwards, picking up northbound at 22:42, setting down southbound at 06:20. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
More about the sleeper: www.seat61.com/sleeper-to-s...
Caledonian Sleeper train to link Scotland with Birmingham
The new service will start in January linking Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William to the West Midlands.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Distracted by Trains
tachyoneddies.com
Next year, this model railroad in Chicago will have been in continuous operation for 70 years.
southsideweekly.bsky.social South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Sep 30
Founded by thirteen World War II GI’s from Chicago’s South Side, the model railroad has been in continuous operation.
September 30, 2025 at 10:38 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Photos will be tomorrow at the earliest as I have no brain-space left for composing alt-text but I just submitted my entry to the Peco Rail 200 model railway diorama competition.

Over an hour before the deadline too!
September 30, 2025 at 9:55 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Well I still hate masking tape but the ballast stayed where it should be even when I knocked the baseboard against our concrete floor.

I've marked out the final positions of the buildings as they are here & I'm psyching myself up to ballast the points.

Also need to finish the cattle dock today :-/
Part-built model railway diorama. Standard and narrow gauge track has been laid & ballasted - except for the points - and scenic items such as buildings placed in position. In the foreground is a paved platform that is going to end up as a cattle dock. Part-built model railway diorama, viewed from the opposite end to the previous photo. From this view you can see that the standard gauge track is up on a small embankment and has nicely laid ballast with the tops of the sleepers mostly visible. The narrow gauge track is laid straight on the ground and the ballast is very mixed with dirt and covering most of the sleepers. In the foreground a pair of semi-detatched houses back onto the railway with only a path between their back gates and the narrow gauge railway.
September 28, 2025 at 10:45 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Just had to drill a 3mm hole for fitting one of my street lights & it felt huge compared to all the 0.5mm & 0.65mm holes I was drilling for the track pinning 😆
September 28, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Reposted by Distracted by Trains
strawberryfields-1.bsky.social
Since I bought this set and it came with a coal car, how do I know if it's Beautiful Clean Coal or just the plain dirty crap it's always been?
#toytrains
#modelrailroading
#nscaletrains
September 27, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Distracted by Trains
ralphmurre.bsky.social
Port Arend, 1959
A breezy day, the wind lifting the tarp over the open engine room of the tug under construction, which is coming along pretty well. The ship awaits the 1/48 scale shipyard to be built around it.
#ModelRailroad #Oscale #scratchbuilt #BoatModel #papermodel #Shipyard
September 27, 2025 at 9:52 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Right, that's everything off the sprues. Now I just need to clean them up & get painting.

Just.

(50 fence posts, 10 gates, 20 hinges, in case you're wondering 😆)

#ModelRailway #DoubleO
Plastic tub holding many moulded plastic scale model pieces representing concrete posts, wooden gates, and metal hinges. The pieces are a brownish grey as they are currently unpainted.
September 27, 2025 at 4:49 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Just remembered I was going to listen to the #TrainTracks feature on #Radio3 today while I worked on my model railway.

I guess I can listen again on Sounds when I'm not swearing about ballast & glue & pizza cutter wheels.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 3 - Train Tracks, Live from Edinburgh Waverley
A railway extravaganza celebrating 200 years of the birth of the modern railway
www.bbc.co.uk
September 27, 2025 at 12:40 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Just learned a Railway Modelling Top Tip!

When ballasting track, & neatening up the shoulders with a paintbrush prior to final check & glueing, DO NOT, whatever you do, DROP THE PAINTBRUSH ON THE PILED UP BALLAST.

#ModelRailways #DoubleOGauge #HourOfMyLifeGone

😆
September 27, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Distracted by Trains
janusxuk.bsky.social
When #BabyIronDragons get ready to rumble, a lot of rivets and welding is required.
curatorian.bsky.social Ian Kikuchi @curatorian.bsky.social · Sep 23
Today in 1940, War Office Film Unit cameraman Harry Rignold visits the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway in Kent, and films troops of the Somerset Light Infantry manning an improvised armoured train.

Full film: IWM AYY 38 www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
September 23, 2025 at 7:46 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
I'm not sure what we're having for dinner tonight but based on the current state of the kitchen it'll have a side order of static grass fluff.

Otoh: fluffy sheep!
From the WWScenics sheep flocking kit :-)
Three small plastic model sheep, scaled to suit a OO gauge model railway. Their heads are painted an off white colour and they have fluffy coats to look like wool.
September 23, 2025 at 3:45 PM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Yesterday we drove over the hills & managed to catch the last hour of the model railway show in Bala.

Pics of some of the layouts later, here's some of the journey over. This is the main road, we came back on the local road.

Thanks to @bala-lake-railway.co.uk for organising the show!
Single carriageway road, a junction with a minor road on the right with a boulder restricting access. The verges are green, with hedgerow on one side and post and rail fencing on the other. Ahead and to the right of the road are heather covered mountains, and there is a bright blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds. A view down into a steep sided valley. The ground is covered in scrubby grasses, gorse, and other upland plants. In the distance is a stand of conifer trees and beyond them, if you zoom in, can be seen a waterfall. View through a car windscreen of a road across the hills. The sky above is bright blue with fluffy white clouds. Just ahead on the right is a parking area with a couple of cars and sheep grazing at the side of the road. On the left is a sign announcing the border with Denbighshire. View through a car windscreen of a road across moorland. The road stretches off into the distance, undulating & bending with the lay of the land. There is no other traffic to be seen, just the grassy moors to either side and the bright blue sky above filled with fluffy white clouds.
September 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
Another lovely dockside layout at #RapidoRailex was the much smaller Bristol Docks.

Love the details here, and it's good to know other people appreciate dockside cranes even more than I do!
A model railway dockside scene with 7 dockside cranes visible. Ships moored up with their hatches open for loading & unloading have names like Cuppatea and Peascake. The whole scene is beautifully weathered with varying levels of rust marks on the different vessels.
September 21, 2025 at 9:18 AM
distractedbytrains.bsky.social
We've seen the fantastic Overlord layout at a number of shows before yesterday, but never without a horde of people crowded around. This clip is only half the length of the model but it gives you an idea of the sheer scale of it.

#RapidoRailex
September 21, 2025 at 9:01 AM